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Software · head to head

ELK Stack vs Greenhouse

ELK Stack logo

ELK Stack

Software

Open Source Search and Log Analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Greenhouse logo

Greenhouse

Software

Hiring software for growing companies

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ELK Stack has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ELK Stack the free Basic self managed subscription excludes machine learning, alerting, single sign on via SAML or OpenID Connect, LDAP and Active Directory authentication, field and document level security, searchable snapshots and cross cluster replication; Greenhouse core plan lacks talent discovery and contact lookups
  • They diverge on capability: ELK Stack covers Full-text search, Greenhouse covers Applicant tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ELK Stack and Greenhouse actually diverge.

Attributes where ELK Stack and Greenhouse differ
AttributeELK StackGreenhouse
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20112012

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ELK Stack

  • Full-text search
  • Data visualization
  • Log aggregation
  • Time-series analytics
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Web support

Only in Greenhouse

  • Applicant tracking
  • Interview scheduling
  • Scorecard system
  • Job board posting
  • Candidate CRM
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Offer management
  • EEO compliance

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ELK Stack

  • Centralised log search and analytics over Elasticsearchnot Greenhouse
  • Dashboards and visualisation of machine data in Kibananot Greenhouse
  • Self managing a search and observability cluster on your own hardwarenot Greenhouse

Greenhouse

  • Applicant tracking system for structured hiringnot ELK Stack
  • AI-powered interview notetaking and sourcingnot ELK Stack

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ELK Stack

  • The free Basic self managed subscription excludes machine learning, alerting, single sign on via SAML or OpenID Connect, LDAP and Active Directory authentication, field and document level security, searchable snapshots and cross cluster replication
  • Cross cluster operations require the same subscription tier on every cluster involved
  • The 99.95 percent monthly uptime SLA applies only to the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers
  • Three deployment models are priced on three different bases: resource based for Cloud Hosted, usage based for Serverless and licence based on nodes and RAM for self managed
  • Elastic Cloud Serverless does not yet support traffic filtering, cross project search or bring your own key
  • The pricing page publishes no rate for any tier

Greenhouse

  • Core plan lacks talent discovery and contact lookups
  • Core plan lacks email automation and applicant texting
  • Plus plan lacks resume anonymisation and application limits
  • Plus plan lacks audit logging and developer tools
  • Pricing customised by hiring volume and company size, not published
  • Only Pro tier offers audit logs and developer sandbox

Pricing, plan by plan

ELK Stack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full-text search
    • Data visualization
    • Log aggregation

Greenhouse

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Greenhouse review.

Which should you pick?

Choose ELK Stack if

  • You need full-text search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want data visualization.
ELK Stack review

Choose Greenhouse if

  • You need applicant tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want interview scheduling.
Greenhouse review

Questions people ask

Is ELK Stack or Greenhouse better?
Neither clearly leads. ELK Stack starts at Free and Greenhouse at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ELK Stack or Greenhouse?
ELK Stack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ELK Stack and On request for Greenhouse.
Does ELK Stack or Greenhouse run on more platforms?
ELK Stack runs on Web, Api. Greenhouse runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use ELK Stack for free?
Yes. ELK Stack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Greenhouse starts at On request.
What is ELK Stack best used for?
ELK Stack is most often used for centralised log search and analytics over elasticsearch, dashboards and visualisation of machine data in kibana, self managing a search and observability cluster on your own hardware. Of those, centralised log search and analytics over elasticsearch and dashboards and visualisation of machine data in kibana are not what Greenhouse is typically brought in for.
What can ELK Stack do that Greenhouse cannot?
ELK Stack covers Full-text search, Data visualization, Log aggregation, Time-series analytics. Greenhouse covers Applicant tracking, Interview scheduling, Scorecard system, Job board posting.
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